Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

dear; the barbarous affaffination of a man to whom his country was fo highly indepted, filled every impartial perfon with horror. The ignominious birth of Almagro, as well as the doubtful title on which he founded his pretenfions, led others to confider him as an ufurper. The officers who commanded in fome provinces refused to recognize his authority, until it was confirmed by the emperor. In others, particularly at Cuzco, the royal ftandard was erected, and preparations made to revenge the murder of their ancient leader.

Arrival of Vaca de Caftro, who affumes the title of governor.

Thofe feeds of difcord, which could not have lain long dormant, acquired great vigour and activity, when the arrival of Vaca de Caftro was known. After a long and difaftrous voyage, he was driven by ftrefs of weather into a small harbour in the province of Popayan, and proceeding from thence by land, after a journey no less tedious than difficult, he reached Quito. In his way he received accounts of Pizarro's death, and of the events which followed uponit. He immediately produced the royal com-. miffion appointing him governor of Peru, with the fame privileges and authority; and his jurifdiction was acknowledged without hesitation by Benalcazar, Adelantado, or lieutenant-general for the emperor in Popayan, and by Pedro

de Puelles, who, in the abfence of Gonzalo Pizarro, had the command of the troops left in Quito. Vaca de Caftro not only affumed the fupreme authority, but fhewed that he poffeffed the talents which the exercise of it at that juncture required. By his influence and addrefs he foon affembled fuch a body of troops, as not only fet him above all fear of being expofed to any infult from the adverse party, but enabled him to advance from Quito with the dignity that became his character. By dispatching perfons of confidence to the different fettlements in Peru, with a formal notification of his arrival and of his commiffion, he communicated to his countrymen the royal pleasure with respect to the government of the country. By private emiffaries, he excited fuch officers as had difcovered their disapprobation of Almagro's proceedings, to manifeft their duty to their fovereign by fupporting the perfon honoured with his commiffion. Those measures were productive of great effects. Encouraged by the approach of the new governor, or prepared by his machinations, the loyal were confirmed in their principles, and avowed them with greater boldnefs; the timid ventured to declare their fentiments; the neutral and wavering, finding it neceffary to chufe a fide, began to lean to that which now appeared to be the fafeft as well as the moft juft. c)

Gomara,

c) Benzon, lib. i. c. 9. Zarate, lib. iv. C. II. c. 146, 147. Herrera, dec. 6, lib. x. c. I, 2, 3. 7. &c.

Conduct of Almagro.

Almagro obferved the rapid progress of this fpirit of difaffection to his cause, and in order to give an effectual check to it before the arrival of Vaca de Caftro, he fet out at the head of his troops for Cuzco, (1542.) where the most confiderable body of opponents had erected the royal ftandard, under the command of Pedro Alvarez Holguin. During his march thither, Herrada, the skilful guide of his youth and of his counfels, died; and from that time his meafures were confpicuous for their violence, but concerted with little fagacity, and executed with no addrefs. Holguin, who, with forces far inferior to thofe of the oppofite party, was defcending towards the coaft at the very time that Almagro was on his way to Cuzco, deceived his unexperienced adverfary by a very fimple ftratagem, avoided an engagement, and effected a junction with Alvarado, an officer of note, who had been the first to declare against Almagro as an ufurper.

Progrefs of Vaca de Caftro.

Soon after, Vaca de Caftro entered their camp with the troops which he brought from Quito, and erecting the royal ftandard before his own tent, he declared, that as governor, he would discharge in perfon all the functions of general of their combined forces. Though

formed by the tenour of his paft life to the habits of a fedentary and pacifick profeffion, he at once affumed the activity and difcovered the decifion of an officer long accustomed to command. Knowing his ftrength to be now far fuperior to that of the enemy, he was impatient to terminate the conteft by a battle. Nor did the followers of Almagro, who had no hopes of obtaining a pardon for a crime fo atrocious as the murder of the governor, decline that mode of decifion. They met (Sept. 16.) 1542.) at Chupas, about two hundred miles from Cuzco, and fought with all the fierce animofity inspired by the violence of civil rage, the rancour of private enmity, the eagernefs of revenge, and the laft efforts of defpair.

Defeats Almagro.

Victory, after remaining long doubtful, declared at laft for Vaca de Caftro. The fuperior number of his troops, his own intrepidity, and the martial talents of Francifco de Carvajal, a veteran officer formed under the great captain in the wars of Italy, and who on that day laid the foundation of his future fame in Peru, triumphed over the bravery of his opponents, though led on by young Almagro with a gallant fpirit, worthy of a better caufe, and deferving another fate. The carnage was great in proportion to the number of the combatants. Many of the vanquished, efpecially fuch as were confcious

fcious that they might be charged with being acceffory to the affaflination of Pizarro, rushing on the swords of the enemy, chofe to fall like foldiers, rather than wait an ignominious doom. Of fourteen hundred men, the total amount of combatants on both fides, five hundred lay dead on the field, and the number of the wounded was ftill greater. d)

Severity of his proceedings.

If the military talents displayed by Vaca de Caftro, both in the council and in the field, furprised the adventurers in Peru, they were ftill more aftonished at his conduct after the victory. As he was by nature a rigid dispenser of justice, and perfuaded that it requited examples of extraordinary feverity to reftrain the licentious fpirit of foldiers fo far removed from the feat of government, he proceeded directly to try his prifoners as rebels. Forty were condemned to fuffer the death of traitors, others were banished from Peru. Their leader, who made his escape from the battle, being betrayed by fome of his officers, was publickly beheaded in Cuzco; and in him the name of Almagro, and the spirit of the party, was extinct. e)

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
« ElőzőTovább »